Sensei Kurama
by LadyClassical
Summary: Post-series AU. Kurama agrees to train the son of a former subordinate upon learning of the boy's plant powers. But what happens when Kurama's relationship with his student's single mother becomes more than just professional?
1. Offer

Kurama was so glad the Demon World Tournament was over—and with it, his time interfering in the Makai. From now on, he swore, he was going to live the life of a normal human being, and his demon side would be forever dormant. Of course, that was what he thought before he met Hiei, and again after that, but it would probably be a long time until the next thing came up…right? Finally, he was packing his things for home.

"Mom, look, it's him! _It's him!"_

Kurama looked up at the sound of the voice, and saw a very young male demon racing towards him as fast as his little legs could manage. Finally, the little boy reached Kurama, and stopped, panting for breath. Once he had recovered from his run, Kurama got a good look at him. Demons would reach maturity at different times depending on their race, but this one was obviously still a child, probably the equivalent of an eight- or nine-year-old human. Overall, he looked very humanoid, which meant he was probably an elemental demon, like Hiei, as opposed to an animal spirit, like Kurama, or any other kind. His hair was medium-brown, and his eyes were a striking blue.

"Hello there," said Kurama kindly. "Are you lost? Where are your parents?"

"I am his mother." This time it was an adult female voice Kurama heard, and when Kurama saw its owner, he stared. The water demoness in front of him was strikingly familiar. She had been one of his subordinates back in the day, never quite on his level, but still a solid B-class. (Of course, Kurama had never been willing to accept anyone less.) Her skin had a very faint bluish tint to it, and her eyes, kimono, and shoulder-length hair were all the same shade of ocean-blue.

"Mizu?!" said Kurama in shock.

"You recognized me," she said wryly. "It's hard to place you in this new body…But after we thought you died, maybe you'll be pleased to know that I straightened out. I found a mate in Maunto—"

"The rock demon?"

"Yes, exactly." Mizu nodded. "Tragically, he was killed before his son was even born. You will see that he has inherited neither my powers nor Maunto's. For the past few years, his powers actually greatly resemble yours..." She leaned in to whisper. "Though he isn't very skilled."

"Really?" Kurama asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes," said Mizu. "Once I found out that he had powers like yours, I told him all about you."

"Not _everything_, I hope." Kurama winced. "I'm not proud of everything I've done in the past."

"Some of your dark deeds he was a little young to hear about, I agree." Mizu smiled slightly. "But I couldn't resist telling him about my old boss, and now he practically worships you. I bought some tapes of your less gory fights in the Dark Tournament for him to watch, and once he heard you were going to be in another tournament, he just _insisted _on coming."

"I'm flattered," said Kurama. Looking down at the younger demon, he asked, "What's your name?"

"Chikyu," said the boy, and then excitedly burst into a torrent of questions. "Is it true my parents used to work for you? Is it true you're an S-class? Is it true you can turn into your demon form whenever you want? Is it true you used to be a thief? Is it true you—"

"All right, I see where this is going," said Kurama. "I have an idea. Since I used to be your mom's boss, how would you like a gift?"

"For _me?" _said the boy, his eyes wide.

"Yes," Kurama replied, taking a blue carnation flower out of his hair and setting it in the boy's waiting hands. "This is a flower you should always keep on your person. When your powers become strong enough, you'll be able to use your demon energy to transform it into your own signature weapon, like me with my Rose Whip."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Chikyu kept repeating, as he hugged Kurama's calves.

"It was no trouble," said Kurama with a smile.

"You're my hero, Mr. Kurama!" Chikyu was still hugging Kurama's legs, and Mizu was unsuccessful in prying him off. "Will you teach me how to use my powers?"

"Don't be silly, dear, he doesn't have time for that," said Mizu, pulling on her son's hand. "Come on, now, we've got to get home."

"Sorry," said Chikyu, staring up at Kurama with his big blue eyes, the blue flower still in his hands. "I just wish I had someone to show me how to use this. Shura is so lucky."

"Shura?" Kurama repeated. "You mean, Yomi's son?"

"Yeah, he's going to train to be as strong as his father is," Chikyu said miserably. "I talked to him. They're going to go on a trip together."

"You know, Mizu…" Kurama took a breath. "I understand this is a big commitment. But, if you agree to it, I would be quite happy to take your son on as a student."

"What?!" shrieked Mizu. "The legendary Youko Kurama, Bandit King of Demon World, S-class demon, teaching _my _son? Oh, I would be honored! Are you sure you're willing to do this? We can't come into Ningenkai anymore, you understand."

"I have a family back there, and I love them very much," said Kurama. "I couldn't possibly stay in Makai. But we could just ask for an exception."

"Well, my original goal was to train to A-class in your absence, but most of my time was focused on raising Chikyu," Mizu said. "I remained B-class, so I can still cross the Kekkai Barrier."

"As long as you get permission, Chikyu can train in Ningenkai," Kurama told her. "Things are a lot different there, but I can help you. I'm moving into my own place now that I'm an adult, and you two are welcome to stay with me. I'm probably going to need a roommate, anyway."

"You've got yourself a deal," said Mizu, reaching out her hand to shake, and they did. "Chikyu and I look human enough that we'll fit into that world. Do humans naturally have blue hair?"

"No, but there is such a thing as hair dye," Kurama replied. "If you two dress like humans, you'll blend in with everyone else easily."

…

Luckily, the new Demon King was fairly understanding, and because Kurama was a friend of a friend's ancestral son, he granted Mizu and Chikyu permission to live in Ningenkai, under the condition that Chikyu trained hard.

"And you are not to use your powers on humans," he added. "Is that strictly understood?"

"Yes, we understand," said Kurama, bowing slightly. "Thank you for the allowance."

"You're welcome!"

The three of them set out, when who would they run into but Yomi and his son, Shura.

"Hello, _Shura," _said Chikyu, wrinkling his nose.

"Hello, _Chikyu," _Shura said back, looking and sounding just as disgusted. "What are you doing with _him?"_

"This is my new Sensei," Chikyu said proudly. "I'm going to become an S-class demon someday, just like he is."

"Who cares?" said Shura, sticking out his tongue. "My dad used to be a King."

"So did Kurama," Chikyu said back. "He used to be your dad's boss."

"Stop fighting, the two of you," said Yomi. "Did I hear correctly, Kurama? You're going to have your own student?"

"Yes, I am," Kurama said. "Chikyu can control vegetation, and I'm going to teach him how to use his demon powers properly."

"If you're as tough on him as you were on me, I'm sure he'll become stronger than he ever hoped," said Yomi.

"Maybe not _quite_ that tough," Kurama said with a grin. "I'm not about to blind the boy."

"Perhaps our paths may cross again someday, Kurama," Yomi told him. "For now, I wish you good luck with your new student."

"I wish the same for you," Kurama replied. Yomi waved once more, while Shura scowled and stuck out his tongue, but the two groups went their separate ways.

"Look out, demons, here I come!" Chikyu said excitedly.

"Next stop, Ningenkai," Mizu added, giving Kurama a smile.


	2. Next Stop, Ningenkai

Kurama was able to arrive, along with Mizu and Chikyu, on the outskirts of his home city in the human world. His two demon companions had clearly never been outside Makai; there was probably a lot to shock them. They were in a thunderstorm, so Kurama used a big plant as an umbrella, but when he offered it to the others, they declined. Well, that made sense, he thought. Mizu herself was a water demoness, and even if Chikyu didn't have water powers, he still had her heritage. They likely enjoyed being in water as much as they could.

It was probably good that they were in the middle of a thunderstorm, because there was always lightning in Makai, and the lack thereof in Ningenkai was one less thing to startle Mizu and her son on their first night in a new place—which would be spent with Kurama's family, since he was still looking for apartments. They had moved into a bigger house since his mother got married, and since they now had a guest room with a double bed, they would be able to accommodate their two guests.

"Tonight we're going to be staying in my house with my family," Kurama explained, as they rode the bus to Kurama's house. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it there."

"You mentioned that you now have a human family you love very much," said Mizu. "Wife? Children?"

"Oh, no." Kurama shook his head. "Just my mom, my stepdad and my stepbrother. They're all really nice, though. We have a guest room."

"Thank you, sir," Mizu said with a little bow of her head. "You are too generous."

"I'm not your boss anymore," Kurama reminded her with a smile. "Just call me Kurama. Besides, did you think I was just going to make you sleep out in the rain?"

"I love sleeping in the rain," she said. "In fact…I'd prefer it if you let us sleep outside tonight. I can fix us up some nice waterbeds."

"Just don't let anyone see you using your demon powers," Kurama told her. "But if you'd rather sleep in the rain, I won't stop you. Although my family _will_ think it's weird…"

"Why?" Mizu asked.

"Well, because humans don't normally do things like that, especially not in the rain. In fact, rain can make humans sick."

"No offense, but humans seem quite as weak as they say back home," Mizu said in a whisper.

"I guess I can't deny that," said Kurama.

"Hey, great dye job!" The two of them looked around and saw a teenage human girl sitting next to them. Her hair was dyed green and she was dressed like a Goth. "Where'd you get it done?"

"She bought the dye and did it herself," Kurama said quickly, knowing Mizu wouldn't be able to name a hairdresser.

"Well, you are _really _talented," said the girl with a smile.

"Oh, thank you," said Mizu, and once the Goth girl had looked away, she added, "So humans don't naturally have blue hair, but they can have green?"

"No, hers is dyed, too," Kurama whispered. "Humans can have hair in only four colors, although there are different shades: blonde, red, brown, and black. Gray, if you count the fact that their hair loses pigmentation over time."

The bus reached Kurama's stop, and he got up, signaling the others to follow. Now that they were off the public transportation, they could talk a little more freely.

"So, anyway, what happened to everyone else after I left?" Kurama asked conversationally.

"Some of them tried to steal all the things you had in your fox den…but they should have known that the plants there would keep them out." Mizu rolled her eyes. "The rest of us left to forge our own paths."

"Whose kingdom were you living under?"

"Raizen's. I didn't like the idea of uniting the kingdoms under one single ruler, but I didn't want to maintain the status quo like Mukuro, either. I wanted things to change."

"I suppose that's one thing humans and demons have in common," Kurama said thoughtfully. "Most of us are just trying to get by."

"What I really wanted was a safe place for Chikyu to grow up, but Makai is a dangerous place," Mizu replied. Kurama figured she was in part speaking of how Maunto died, but she didn't elaborate, either because she didn't want her son to hear or because she didn't want to talk about it herself—maybe both. Either way, he followed her lead, and didn't ask.

"What happened to Pyra and Elektra?" Kurama asked, deciding to change the subject. "You girls used to drive me crazy, and not in a good way."

Mizu laughed. "I don't know where they went, but we were glad to split ways."

"Remember when you and Pyra were fighting over that necklace with the blue stones?" Kurama asked, remembering. "And you were winning, so Elektra decided to help Pyra out and give you a shock in the back?"

"Oh yeah, I remember…"

"_Give—me—that—necklace!" Mizu screeched, pulling on the end of it, but Pyra wouldn't let go._

"_Never!" Pyra screamed, but she shrieked and recoiled as Mizu shot a water gun at her._

"_I've got you now, you bratty little—OWWWW!" Mizu felt a shock of electricity go through her body and looked behind her. It was Elektra, the electric demon._

"_Not so tough now, are you?" Elektra sneered._

"_We're playing dirty, now, are we?" Mizu snarled back._

"_So what?" said Elektra, but Pyra took advantage of Mizu's slackened grip and grabbed the necklace. She got to her feet and attempted to run away with it._

"_OH NO YOU DON'T!" Mizu bellowed._

_Taking advantage of Youko's favorite lake nearby, Mizu caused a huge breaker to splash over the fire demon, knocking her down. Once Mizu let go, you could say Pyra looked rather put out. Mizu ran over and grabbed the necklace._

"_You want my necklace?! THEN TAKE IT!" Mizu hollered, pinning Pyra down with her knee and beating her with the necklace, egged on by the shrieks of pain she heard. She barely felt it when Elektra shocked her again._

"_That's ENOUGH!" _

_Mizu was interrupted by a world of pain as she felt a strong arm twisting her ear, bringing her to her knees and causing her to drop the necklace. It was Youko, doing the same to Pyra. Behind them, Kuronue grabbed Elektra._

"_Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow…" Mizu could barely feel her ear._

"_That was low, Elektra," Kuronue scolded. "You should never attack from the rear."_

"_Her rear's so big, how can I miss?" Elektra snapped._

_Mizu screamed in fury, but Youko effortlessly kept her pinned to the ground._

"_Now I'm going to let go of your ears," he said strictly, "and after this, you girls are going to stop fighting. Is that clear?"_

"_Crystal, sir!" __Pyra sobbed. "Just let go of me, please!"_

_Youko let go, and both demonesses fell onto the ground. _

"_I suppose I can't expect a fire demon and a water demon to get along," he continued. "But I will settle for a lack of outright hostility. Now get back to headquarters and stop wasting my time…I'll be taking that, by the way," he added, snatching the necklace up off the ground and pocketing it._

"_Sir, yes, sir," all three girls chimed, and they ran off as fast as their legs could carry them._

"We didn't learn our lesson for the longest time," said Mizu. "Not before your band of thieves broke up, certainly. But I like to think I'm more mature now."

"Having a child will do that to you, I suppose." Kurama shrugged, although now that he thought about it, Mizu did seem different. It likely had something to do with her husband being killed, too, and her experiences of raising Chikyu all on her own. She looked older, which made sense, because she hadn't been a mature demon when he left Makai, only 85 years old (for most elemental demons, they were fully mature at 100 years). That meant she was 104 now, and she looked a lot different—her hair was shorter and thicker, her figure was fuller, she was slightly taller, her voice was a little deeper, and she carried herself better, but judging by her demeanor, it seemed she had matured a lot mentally, too.

"Chikyu is worth it," said Mizu, patting her son's head. "After Maunto died, he was all I had."

"Perhaps he's a little like me, then," said Kurama. "My father died when I was very young, too."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mizu replied. "Anyway, we're almost there, aren't we?"

"Yes, just a little farther," Kurama told her, and it wasn't long before they reached his house. It was always nice coming home, even to the new house; everything in it reminded Kurama of his happy family life. Since he had been gone for a long time at the Makai Tournament, he knew his mother would be happy to see him again. They stopped outside the door, and Kurama asked, "Remember the story?"

"Maybe you'd better run through it one more time," said Mizu nervously.

"Okay, my name is Shuichi in the human world," Kurama began, "and make sure you don't call me Kurama. You're twenty-five and Chikyu is nine, which means he was born when you were a teenager, but I don't want to make you too much older than I am. You just lost your job, and you're going to be my roommate in my new apartment until you get back on your feet."

"Lost my job? What does that mean?"

"It means you have been dismissed from service."

"What did I do that was bad enough for that?" Mizu asked, her eyes wide, and Kurama realized she was probably thinking of what it typically meant for a demon subordinate to be dismissed (Yomi's fate came to mind).

"We're going to say you were laid off, which means it wasn't your fault," Kurama reassured her. "If my family asks, which I don't think they will, I'll explain the rest."

"Thank you very much, sir," said Mizu, then giggled embarrassedly. "I mean, Kurama…It does feel strange to address you so casually."

"You'll get used to it," Kurama reassured her, smiling. When she wasn't letting her emotions run away with her, Mizu had been fairly good about following orders and being respectful, so it made sense that she still thought of him as her boss. Oh, well. Maybe after they cohabitated for Chikyu's training, things would change.

Finally, when he was sure they were ready (or as ready as they would ever be), Kurama knocked three times on the door.


	3. Welcome Home

Mizu was extremely nervous as she waited for Kurama's mother to open the door. What if his family didn't like her? She didn't know anything about humans; how was she supposed to know what to say and do? All she could hope for was that Kurama would do most of the talking, and that Chikyu wouldn't reveal anything he wasn't supposed to.

The door opened, and a black-haired woman pulled Kurama into her arms. "Shuichi!"

"Mom!" said Kurama, hugging her back and looking equally happy. "I've missed you so much."

"We've all missed you, too," said Kurama's mother, then she looked at Mizu and asked politely, "May I help you?"

"Oh, yes, this is my new roommate, Mom," said Kurama. "Her name's Mizu, and this is her son, Chikyu."

"Nice to meet you," she said, shaking Mizu's hand. "You can call me Shiori."

"You can call me Mizu," said Mizu, who was terrified out of her mind. "I-I hope you don't mind my son and me being here…"

"She just got laid off at her job, and the two of them don't have anywhere else to go," Kurama explained quickly. "I told them they could move into my new apartment with me when I move out. Do you think they could stay here for a few days while I look for a new apartment?"

"I know it's short notice, but we really appreciate it," Mizu added. She knew she should just let Kurama do the talking, but she was running off at the mouth.

"That's all right," said Shiori, and next thing you know, she was helping Mizu inside. "Come in out of the rain, dear, and I'll get some tea started."

Kurama, Mizu, and Chikyu all came indoors and sat down on the couch.

"Where's everyone else?" Kurama asked.

"Well, your stepdad had to work late, and Kokoda is upstairs researching colleges," said Shiori. "I didn't want to disturb him."

But it was too late. They heard sixteen-year-old Kokoda's footsteps coming down the stairs at a run, and he stopped short when he saw the guests in the living room.

"Shuichi, you're finally back," he said. "And…"

"This is my new roommate, Mizu, and her son Chikyu," said Kurama. "Come have tea with us."

"I'm busy," Kokoda said back, but Mizu noticed the human boy was watching her very closely. Perhaps he was wary of her presence?

"Don't be afraid," she said. "I wouldn't hurt any of your family."

"I'm not afraid," Kokoda told her with a strange look, and headed back upstairs. Mizu heard Shiori laugh, but she wasn't sure why.

…

Kurama was grinning as he watched Kokoda head back up the stairs. It was obvious he hadn't been expecting to find an unfamiliar woman and her son sitting in his living room. It also looked like he was impressed with Mizu's appearance, since he had reached the age where he liked pretty much all the girls. Mizu, in turn, had mistaken his expression for fear.

"So, tell me a little about yourself, Mizu," said Shiori, coming out of the kitchen with the tea.

"Well, I'm a mother, and a healer, and I like anything to do with water…" Mizu seemed to be having trouble thinking of things that wouldn't reveal her true identity. Well, that made sense; Kurama had a lot more experience than she did when it came to that.

"Mizu used to work at a store where they sold herbal cures for things," Kurama cut in. "Then the store went out of business, so that's why she lost her job. She loves her son Chikyu, and I've agreed to teach him martial arts."

"Yes, you _are _good at that, Shuichi." Shiori nodded as she sipped her tea. "How old are you, Chikyu?"

"Ten," said the little demon-boy. "Well, almost."

"And what are you learning in school?"

"Oh, just math, reading, all the normal things," said Kurama. "But he's trying to get into a good junior high."

The conversation went on like that for some time, with Shiori asking questions and Kurama having to answer a lot of them because someone from Makai wouldn't know what she was talking about. They had some rice balls as a snack when they got hungry, and around ten Shiori said she was going to get ready for bed.

"Where are all your clothes and things?" Shiori asked. "Do you have anything to wear to bed?"

"All their belongings are at their old apartment where the landlord kicked them out," said Kurama. "We're going to get them tomorrow."

"Very well," said Shiori. "There should be some toothbrushes in the medicine cabinet. Let me know if you need anything else."

"Goodnight, Mom," said Kurama, kissing her cheek. "Sleep well."

"You, too, honey," she told him, and went upstairs.

"Are you still planning on sleeping outside?" Kurama asked Mizu and Chikyu.

"That depends," said Mizu. "Chikyu, what do you want?"

"I was hoping I could share a room with Kurama," said Chikyu eagerly. "We could stay up really late, and he could tell me all kinds of cool stories about his life."

"Well, I'm flattered, but you have to go to sleep early for your training tomorrow," Kurama said, smiling at Chikyu. "Besides, I'm not that good at staying up late. I was always a morning person."

"You and I will sleep outside, Chikyu," Mizu told him. "It's raining."

"Okay," said Chikyu. "I like rain."

Kurama thought how weird it would be if his mom knew they were choosing to sleep outside instead of in the very comfortable guest room. But then, sleeping outside was normal to Mizu and Chikyu. There were plenty of demons who didn't live in houses and saw the outdoors as home, especially the elemental types. Hiei was like that, for example, which was why he hung out in the forests so much back when he lived in Ningenkai.

"I suppose both of you will need some pajamas," Kurama said, before they went outside. "Mizu, you can wear some of mine…Chikyu, you want one of my dress shirts or something?"

"One of yours? Can I really wear one of your shirts?" Chikyu cried. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome," Kurama said with a laugh. Chikyu seemed to act younger than his age a lot of the time; Kurama attributed that to the fact that Mizu seemed a little prone to babying him. Still, it felt strange to be this child's hero all of a sudden. For one thing, he didn't know if all this praise was warranted. Second, when you were someone's hero, you had to make sure you were always setting a good example for them. That was a big responsibility; could Kurama handle it?

_Well_,_ I suppose I don't really have a choice in the matter_, he thought, as Chikyu raced upstairs with Kurama and Mizu following along behind him. As they passed by Kokoda's room in the hallway, which was ajar, Kokoda got up to glare at them, then slam the door shut. Kurama heard the lock click, remembering that Kokoda was in his "difficult stage" and it was best to just let him be for now. Plus, Kokoda was upset that Kurama was moving out, after how close they had become over the years.

After everyone had brushed their teeth, Kurama gave Mizu and Chikyu their pajamas, then let them change in the guest room while he himself changed in his bedroom, like usual. When he was changed, he put on his polyester emerald-green bathrobe and pink fluffy socks (a welcome relief from the socks he had to wear to work) and stepped out into the hallway to wait.

Soon enough, Chikyu came running out of the guest room, wearing the man's shirt that came down to his knees, and Mizu was next, wearing a set of Kurama's pajamas. The sight of how big they were on her made him smile, and he gently held her arm to stop her from tripping.

"Thank you so much, sir," she said. "I-I mean…Kurama. Thank you for everything."

"Oh, it was no problem." Kurama reached out for a friendly hug, and she obliged. Chikyu, too.

…

It was wonderful, it was heaven, hugging Kurama. Even if he _looked _different now, his scent was the same as she remembered from almost twenty years ago—beautiful roses, fertile soil, the smell of a powerful, intelligent man who could protect her and her son. When she breathed him in, the smell seemed to go not simply into her nose and lungs, but also into her brain and heart, in the most intoxicating of ways.

Gentleman that he was, his hands were on her back when he hugged her, but she didn't want them there, caught up in that moment. She wanted them sliding down the curves of her body, entwined in her hair, resting on her breasts, his lips on hers, so that her body could fill with the scent of roses and love, while Chikyu was fast asleep and out of the way in the other room…

"Well, good night," Kurama said again, and the little hug was over too quickly. Mizu waved as they left out the back door, reflecting on her feelings there. She set up a waterbed for Chikyu and tucked him in, then made one for herself, letting herself sink into the warm, buoyant water.

Even Kurama's pajamas smelled a little like him, which meant Mizu was willing to wear them. Earlier today, she had been pleased when he said he didn't have a wife or children here in Ningenkai, but then, why should she be glad about something like that? Back when she worked for him, he had never shown any romantic interest in her, and he didn't seem to be showing any now, either. All the magic was in her head, just as it always had been.


End file.
